Everyday Carry Knife

Jan 16, 2012

It’s been a long time since I’ve needed to carry a knife on a daily basis. In high school, I kept a Leatherman in my pocket, since I did tech support on all the computers in the school and backstage work for the theater productions; the screwdrivers came in handy more than anything else. In college, I carried a knife for a few years when I was on Tech Crew, and needed to cut things like gaffer tape and cable ties on a regular basis.

For those few years in college, I carried a Kershaw Vapor II, which I still have. It served me well for Tech Crew duties, but I haven’t bothered carrying it since. It takes up too much room in my pocket for every day use, and the screw at the joint frequently comes lose and requires tightening. The all-metal handle may give it a nice look, but isn’t all that practical.

After Ben Brooks wrote a couple posts about his knives last month—first a review of the SOG Fielder, then a follow up with details about several others—I got thinking about it and realized that a smaller everyday knife could come in handy1. I never carried the Kershaw because it was large and conspicuous, and when you live in a city—especially the nation’s capital—you don’t necessarily want to appear to be carrying a weapon.

I did some looking around and decided on almost the same knife that Mr. Brooks carries on a daily basis: the SOG Flash I, though I opted for the straight blade instead of the partially serrated version. Next to the Kershaw, it looks tiny.

I’ve only been carrying it for about a week now, but I’ve been surprised by how much use it gets. Granted, the DC crew here at Jackson River just moved into a new office2, so there have been plenty of boxes and packaging to open, but it’s been plenty handy at home too. It’s just the right size: small enough that it doesn’t take up much pocket space, but big enough to be useful. The pocket clip is positioned at the very edge of the knife, so that it sites low in the pocket, and the spring-assist makes it easy to flip open one-handed (my Kershaw occasionally sticks, especially after I’ve had to tighten up that screw at the joint). There’s even a safety lock, just in case. I haven’t had to sharpen it yet, since it arrived razor-sharp already. I’m hoping that it will hold an edge well, but we’ll see about that.

On the whole, I’m really happy with the SOG Flash I, and I’m glad I got it because it’s proven to be a worthwhile addition to my pocket litter. Of course, now I need to start thinking about my next purchase: a proper fixed-blade for camping!

It didn’t hurt that around this time, I started watching Dual Survival, and consequently, evaluating everything based on its worth in a survival situation. ↩

I need to take some more pictures of the office once we get in the last of the furnishings. There will be a post coming on that soon. ↩